


The Invitation

by dgdreamer



Series: The End is the Beginning [11]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Crack, Humor, Innuendo, Mission Fic, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 09:58:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18689197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dgdreamer/pseuds/dgdreamer
Summary: It was supposed to be a simple mission.. in and out with no real problems. What can you do when things don't go exactly to plan? Distraction seems to be the best solution.





	1. Mission Brief

**Author's Note:**

> After seeing Endgame... I needed to escape to my universe where everything is okay and all of my family is still saving the world together. I don't know about you, but I'm in the "denial" portion of the grieving process. If you haven't seen it yet... go... immediately... I mean it! As someone described it, the movie is a love letter to the fans! 
> 
> No spoilers here. Just some good clean fun that I promise will lead to some good clean smut in the near future. I am just doing a bit of world building and character development first. The payoff is worth it. 
> 
> Now, join me in the alternate universe I've created in my mind. Enjoy...

Briefings were never fun, even less so when dealing with a group of people with such varied backgrounds and temperaments most of them poised to react with a minimum of information. Getting them to sit still long enough to hear all the information and make solid plans of action when a situation or threat presented itself was something that needed the skill of a Jedi master – something Lauren had yet to achieve. Most of the time the meetings began well, people listening long enough to get an idea of what they were facing before devolving into a series of insults wrapped around half-formed plans of action. Having a solid leader during this phase of briefing was invaluable, and among this group the Captain was the undisputed voice of mission planning and Lauren thanked all the gods and angels, and maybe even Howard Stark, that he was there.

“What we have is a small terrorist cell that wanted to make some powerful friends and get their hands on some better tech by getting in bed with what remains of HYDRA.” Laruen looked over the men and women gathered around the table. “I don’t think I need to tell you that we are very concerned about the precedent that might be set here. If several of these small groups join forces, it could cause us some significant headaches.”

“Why us? Why call in the A-team for something like this? What kind of tech are we talking about here?” Tony spoke up.

“Mostly experimental stuff that they were able to hide when they were exposed a few years ago. We’ve also learned that they have been able to purchase some old Stark weapons that have been floating out there on the black market.” Lauren watched his expression tighten as her words hit home. “We’ve been watching them for months to try to get a read on how the exchanges are happening. They’ve amassed enough of an arsenal that we need to make a move.”

“They’re using an abandoned Iraqi military facility. It’s small, remote, and out of the range of most military patrols.” Natasha had now pulled up holographic images of the site she had pulled from her most recent reconnaissance mission. It was just a spot in the middle of a stretch of otherwise barren desert. “The defenses surrounding the site are minimal. Low tech surveillance equipment, small arms, and a few antiquated landmines scattered randomly around the primary building, unless you’ve found something else?” she flicked her gaze toward Lauren before returning her attention to the still- scrolling satellite and surveillance photos.

“Nothing that we’ve been able to detect. This should be a simple op. Just a dead drop site they have used a few times too many.” Lauren consulted the tablet and tapped a few buttons to display a more detailed schematic of the site. “Payment is left in a dry well on the perimeter of the site. When the operatives are clear, they use a seemingly innocuous YouTube video to signal that they’re ready for delivery.”

“YouTube?” Steve raised his brow.

“It's a hosting service…”

“I know what it is, Tony,” Steve interrupted, “I've seen you on it enough.” Tony harrumphed in response. “I was just thinking it’s pretty low tech for this kind of thing.”

“Hiding in plain sight, Cap,” Lauren continued. “We’ve been monitoring the channel since facial recognition matched someone in a recently posted video with someone who we know was on site within the past few months. I won’t bore you with the details, but after hours of scouring satellite photos, drone surveillance, and subscribing to the most annoying YouTube channel known to man, we started seeing a trend.”

“I’m guessing you have an idea of when the next drop will be?” Steve moved to the schematics, obviously already formulating a plan to intercept the drop.

“It’s not the drop we’re after, it’s the pick-up.” Lauren wasn’t quite prepared for the scowl that crossed Captain America’s face at this news. This was where she needed to convince them that there was a larger plan at work. “We need more on the origins of these weapons so we can move against the HYDRA cell and stop the supply to other rouge organizations at the source. We can’t move against them at this site. The weapons always arrive within a few days of when the signal video is uploaded. They stagger the delivery over a 24-hour period, using run-down trucks that are common to anyone who might be in the area. They approach from different directions and unload quickly into three separate buildings, which have been marked. Nothing in the movement or description garners any notice from the surrounding population. We’re working on following their trails into and out of the site, but they are extremely careful and seem to have a way to cloak their movements at certain points.”

“So someone has a cache of HYDRA and Stark weapons, and we can’t get our hands on them?!” Tony was clearly exasperated at the prospect. Lauren knew that he had made it his personal mission to wipe any remaining weapons made by his company off the face of the earth.

“That’s the current situation, yes,” Lauren confirmed, trying to show that she understood his fervor for getting to the bottom of the issue. “As soon as we have a better lead that won’t mean us chasing around the globe doing smaller jobs, I’ll let you know.”

“What about destroying the weapons between the drop-off and pick-up?” Bucky finally chimed in.

“Better to wait and hope we can take a couple of those terrorists into custody. They might have some decent intel.” Clint answered almost as if he’d asked the question and been given the answer before.

“That’s our thought.” Lauren confirmed. “It’s hard to say when that pick-up might be. We’ve just received confirmation that delivery is underway, but we haven’t been able to find any consistency how long the terrorists wait to move. No less than 24 and no more than 48 hours. You’ll move out tonight and wait. Mission details are on your tablets. Now’s the time to plan how you are going to make this happen without causing an international incident,” she looked pointedly at Tony. “Cap, the floor is yours.”

Two hours later, everything was set. Now it was up to the team.


	2. The Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the mission things start getting a little tense. A well-timed distraction could be just what the team needs... and might just lead to something more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting somewhere here... just hang in there with me.

Everything in the Tower’s command center was silent for a few minutes after Barton had the quinjet in the air and pointed toward home. There was nothing unusual in the pause, people needed to process after any mission, even successful ones. Even for those monitoring the action from the safety and isolation of an operations center thousands of miles away there needed to be a lull. The interlude was a good sign that even though things hadn’t gone exactly to plan, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. If things had gone wrong, there would have been chaos on the coms. Sounds of wounds being treated and the inevitable sharp words that would come from people who weren’t used to losing and needed someone or something to blame. The silence would surely be broken soon. Someone would feel the need to mention how someone else had taken an unnecessary risk… see Tony, Clint, and occasionally Steve. It was never a real criticism, just a way for a group of severely emotionally constipated people to express how much they cared. Instead of just saying how scared they were for the others, they would snipe and curse and even squabble a little bit until someone stepped in to bring their attention around to something else. It was their chosen form of decompression. A habit so deeply ingrained in the team dynamic that it was almost a part of the official debriefing process. A way to work down from the adrenaline high before they worked through the details of what had gone right and what had not.

Lauren usually broke the silence first, giving them post-mission instructions and a time for the official debrief. For now, however, the only sounds that filled the silence were the whoosh of the ventilation system and the echoing whine of the jet’s engines filtering through the space. She both loved and hated these moments between the end of a fight and the beginning of whatever passed for normal post-mission chatter with her team. There was the reassurance that everyone was whole and on their way home, relatively unharmed. On the other hand, there was also a dark reminder that the threats were numerous and real, and no matter how many missions they accomplished, there would always be more terrible people and now alien life forms who were bent on domination, death, and destruction. This time, she felt a lump of guilt forming in her gut for how things had progressed on the mission. She was responsible for the intel and she had missed something. A potentially big something that had almost cost Iron Man his life.

 “Well, that was fun! Who would have known a supposedly abandoned base would have that kind of artillery? This one’s on you, Sherlock.” Lauren heard Tony wince, “I may need a crowbar to get me out of this suit.”

Trying not to let the guilt she felt color her voice, Lauren answered back. “We weren’t able to pick up anything about that tech. We need to recalibrate our equipment to pick up whatever alloy those weapons are made from. I hope you guys saved enough so Stark could bring back a toy to play with.”

“Not all her fault, if you’d only stuck with the plan, you wouldn’t have had to worry about it. That’s why we go in and check things out first.” Steve interrupted, defending Lauren’s preparations and having no sympathy for the man who could still be heard prying at the metal of his armor.

“It was a stupid plan, Spangles. We would have still been in there if we had listened to you.” The tone was almost bored, but everyone knew that the almost 36-hour wait before they could move on the target had made Tony anxious.

“Listen, Stark, you put the entire mission in jeopardy when you go charging into something like an Iron Cowboy!” The Captain’s voice echoed.

“Hey, that’s low… I’m no hayseed… and I did help you out by drawing most of the fire while you got inside.”

“Here we go again,” Lauren muttered as much to the team as to herself. She thought she had dealt with this once and for all when she trapped the two men face to face in the training room a few weeks prior, but apparently they really were teenage boys and needed to be reminded of how things were. The bickering was escalating rapidly, which wasn’t a good sign since it usually meant that they had been in more than the usual amount of danger. And didn’t that just put the knot in her stomach again. It was time for a distraction.

“Captain, status report!” she barked with all the force she could muster around the lump of guilt in her throat. “Fury will be expecting an update, and I’m not going to be the one that doesn’t have answers. Injuries?” It seemed there had been enough steel in her voice to cut through the tension on the jet. The performance Clint and Bucky were calling Operation Fight or Fuck (much to her annoyance) might have taught some members of the team that she was almost as much a force to be reckoned with as Director Coulson… almost.

“The weapons have been secured and the site won’t be used again any time soon. Survivors are in custody and we were able to secure some intel from a couple of onsite hard drives for analysis. Military is securing what’s left of the site and the prisoners. Injuries are minor, being treated en route, but we will need some help for Stark. The suit got a little beat up.” Captain America was back in control, but could almost be heard chuckling as he finished.

“How bad is it?” Lauren was almost afraid to hear the answer.

“He’s stuck.” Natasha’s simple statement conveyed a world of meaning. “Can’t get out and can’t sit down.” Lauren conjured a mental image of  Tony leaning against the bulkhead, sulking. It was all she could do not to laugh.

“Alright, medical first.” Lauren didn’t pause. “Not an option. You’ll all get patched up, cleaned up, and well fed… in that order. I’ll be in the workshop helping separate Stark from his hardware. Debrief after.” Lauren didn’t need Jedi skills to know how he would react, in fact, she counted on it.

“You’re not going anywhere near my hardware, Sherlock, as I recall mechanical engineering is not in your skill set!” Tony was nothing if not predictable.

“What kind of engineering skills do I need to pry your crusty ass out of a body condom, Stark?  Are you worried that I might be looking for payback on that last prank?” Lauren countered. Banter was good, it helped her to focus on something else and get back to the kind of relationship they’d had before… Her thoughts were cut off with his half-shouted reply.  

“My ass is not crusty, I’ll have you know! I have a great ass… just ask Pepper!” Any ideas about a return to normalcy died a swift death as soon as the words left his mouth, reality sinking into his brain. Of course, some people didn’t know when to quit.

“Well, it’s been awhile, Stark,” Clint interrupted unthinkingly, “it could have gone all crusty since…”

“Shut up, Legolas!” growled Tony. It was time to try to diffuse the situation again.

Taking a deep breath to suppress too many conflicting feelings threatening to spill over, Lauren put on her best innocent voice and almost whined, “Aw, c’mon, let me give you a hand and then I can report the status of your ass to the rest of the team. I am an expert in research and analysis.” Although she’d meant it to be teasing, it came out more flirtatious than she intended. It bordered on innocently seductive. Someone on the other end took an audible breath.

“I’m not talking to you anymore, Sherlock, research and analysis of my person is strictly off-limits to you!” She had hit a nerve… Usually Tony rose to these challenges.  Had a few conversations and kisses really changed that much. The click of a com being switched off ended their ability to continue the conversation.  

“Would someone who is still talking to me please tell Iron Man that I apologize for questioning the status of his personal assets?” Lauren asked, feeling a little strange that things had been pushed too far, but still wanting to make and keep peace. She heard mumbling in the background. Apparently Bucky was playing the part of the little shit who wanted to see if he could keep things going. She wasn’t sure if she loved him or hated him in that moment. While she was considering it, Tony’s voice, muffled at first, suddenly came through loud and clear.

“Well, tell her I said, ‘suck it!’”

Lauren smiled… oh, so it was going to be like that was it… Challenge Accepted! “Sergeant Barnes, please inform Mr. Stark that I will meet him in the lab as soon as you arrive and he can issue that invitation in person while I peel him out of his iron skin.”

It wasn’t until the team’s laughter died down that Tony got the message…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please leave Kudos and Comments. I love seeing the reactions to the little pieces of insanity that creep into my very, very boring academic existence. Please visit the other episodes I've posted in this series. The larger story is starting to take shape in my mind. When it does... I think it will be a fun ride.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. Please leave Kudos and Comments. I love seeing the reactions to the little pieces of insanity that creep into my very, very boring academic existence. Please visit the other episodes I've posted in this series. I'm working on getting them all together to create one continuous story with some actual plot and some twists and turns along the way. For now, enjoy a sampling.


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